Improved process and apparatus for separating magnetic from non-magnetic substances



LA RUE &' AU'DET.

Gre Separator.

Patented Jan. 26. 1869.

7: for

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANQOIS ALEXANDRE IIULERT LA RUE AND OOTAVE AUDET, OF QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNORS TO F. A. H. LA RUE AND CHARLES E. FANET, OF

SAME PLACE.

l IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MAGNETIC FROM NON-IVIAGNET|C SUBSTANCES.

Spccieation forming part ot' Letters Patent No. $6,167, dated January QG, lSGll.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FnANors ALEXANDRE HUBERT LA RUE and Oo'rArvE AUDET, all of the city, district, and Province of Quebec, in the dominion of Canada, have invented a new and improved Process and Apparatus for Separating Magnetic Oxide of Iron, or other Magnetic Substances, from all Foreign Material, &c. 5 and we do hereby declare that the following is a t'ull,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, in such terms as to enable a person skilled in the art to manufacture and work the same, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l represents a side elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 2, an end elevation.

Figure 3, a plan View.

The improved process has in View the separation of magnetic iron from the material known as magnetic iron sand,7 or from iinely-pulvcrized magnetic-iron ore, or the treatment, for separation, of any other magnetic substance in the same manner.

The leading feature in the process consists in the employment of a considerable number of magnets properly arranged, and the passing, by suitable arrangements, of a continuous quantity of magnetic-iron sand, or pulverized magneticiron ore, 85e., under the magnets, and by the intervention of cloth, parchment, or other isolating-substance, incapable of interrupting the magnetic attraction between the magnets and the material to be operated on, to the lower side of which the particles of magnetic iron are attached,while the residuum, or foreign matter, passes on, by mechanical means.

At suitable intervals, or when a sufficient quantity ofthe magnetic iron is attached to the intervening cloth, the connection between the magnets and the cloth is interrupted, which has the effect of allowing the iron to detach itself from the lower side of the cloth by its own specific gravity, after which it is conveyed to suitable receptacles.

A series of brushes, arranged at the proper intervals, and attached to the endless apron that conveys the sand and iron, or operated by other suitable mechanism, pass under the cloth,

and serve to scrape from it any particles of iron that may adhere thereto. These brushes may be arranged to operate in such a manner as to dispense, in certain cases, with the ne cessity of a cloth, they passing, at regular intervals, under the magnets, and detaching the iron from them, causing it to fall into the receptacles, as above described.

As soon as this discharge has been effected, the cloth resumes its connection with the magnets. At the same moment additional quantities ot' the iron-sand, or pulverized iron-ore, come in contact with the lower side again, the iron is once more withdrawn from the foreign matter, which in turn passes on to its place of deposit, and the operation of detaching the cloth from the magnets is repeated, severing, in doing so, the particles of iron from the cloth, as before described, and so on.

In the drawings, similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a is the frame-work of the apparatus enr ployed for holding the different parts in their proper positions, and may be ol' any suitable material, and of such dimensions as may be commensurate with the size of the apparatus required. V

b b are two revolving cylinders, of suitable diameter, and extending the width of the frame-work.

One of these cylinders is provided with a pulley, C, for giving it motion, by means of suitable motive-power.

These two revolving cylinders are for the purpose of carrying the endless belts d d, which are kept in place by anges, d d', and are connected together by strips or slats, e e, each of which is securely riveted to the belt at each end of the slat.

It' these slats are of wood, they will be covered with linen, or other cloth, 85e., to prevent the escape of the sand and iron between them. If of metal, they will overlap each other, and thus prevent the escape of the sand and other material.

. These slats, for certain regular distances, will be arranged as described, and void spaces, ff, in which no slats are placed, will also be arranged, at regular intervals, as shown in the drawings.

B B are the brushes, which detach the particles of iron from the magnets, or from the cloth under the magnets. These brushes may be made of any suitable material, such as hair, felt, cloth, rubber, wood, or metal, and they are arranged at the edges of the openings, or void spaces, ff, so that, as they detach the iron from the magnets or cloth, it will drop through the spaces upon the inclines, as above described.

g g are a number of cross bars, placed on the upper side of the frame, and serving to hold the magnets h 7L in their proper places.

These magnets, 7L h, may be of the horseshoe form, as shown, or of any other suitable form, and arranged on the barsgg, in close proximity with each other, in rows of the entire width of the revolving belt and slats.

The number of crossbars, g g, with their supported magnets, will depend on the size of the entire'machine, and the quantity of work required to be performed.

In order to protect the magnets, give the series ofthem a smooth, uniform face, and prevent the particles of iron from working up between them when no cloth is used, we enclose their lower ends in a suitable vessel, A, of Zinc, or other material, filled with resin, wax, cement, or any other isolating-material. The extremities of the magnets project through the bottom of the vessel A, and are flush with its under surface, so that the whole presents a smooth, uniform surface over the cloth, or over the mass of sand and iron particles.

t is a movable trough, placed immediately underneath the magnets, and extending the entire width of the revolving belt.

This trough is provided with two sides, j j, of wood or metal, placed a sufficient distance apart to admit of the lower ends of the magnets tting in between. Y

Surrounding the outer sides and bottom of the trough so formed, is a covering, j, of cotton, linen, or any other material capable of permitting the iniiuence of the magnets to pass through and act on the particles of magnetic iron in the sand under treatment, as it passes, by means of the revolving belt and slats. i

This trough is suspended by means of the springs K K, placed, one at each end, the springs being attached to the frame A.

The cloth, or other material, on the bottom of the trough, is always held in contact with the ends of the magnets by the action of the springs in question,except at the precise time when the discharge of the magnetic iron from the lower side of the cloth is to be effected, which happens when the void spaces f f, be-

. tween the slats, arrive under the magnets. At

this moment,the curved ends I Lof the spring K, on each side, come incontaet with the inclined projection m, attached to each end of one of the slats. The motion of this inclined projection, as ittravels forward, elevates the curved ends I I, of the spring, which in turn depresses the other end of thespring,to which the movable trough 'i is attachedin this manner separating it.l or, rather, its cloth bottom from the ends of the magnets, destroying the magnetic attraction which before held the magnetic iron against the lower side of the cloth, and allowing the iron to fall through the void spaeesff, between the slats, by its own specific gravity, and be conveyed, by thesidechutes n, into proper receptacles.

The sand, or other refuse matter, not having been acted on by the force of the magnets, i passes along on the slats of the revolving belts, v

and is discharged into the waste-heap, at o.

The brushes B B may operate in connection with the cloth bottom of the trough, or the brushes or cloth may, either of them, be enlployed independently of the other. When operating together, they insure the perfect discharge ofall the particles of iron that may have been attracted by the magnets. They are designed to be both attached to the machine, and to be used either conjointly or independently, as circumstances may render advisable.

The device for protecting the ends of the magnets, by the vessels A, filled with resin, wax, or cement, (previously melted and poured into the vessels) is necessary, when the cloth is not employed, in order to prevent the particles from insinuating themselves between the magnets in such a way that they could not be,

easily detached therefrom. It is obvious,how ever, that when the cloth is used,it will effectually prevent the contact of the particles with the magnets, and of course obviate the difficulty referred to; but, as the machine is to be used in bot-h ways,the cloth and the isolatingboxes A A are both employed at the same time.

I is a hopper, suitably arranged, for the reception of the magnetic-iron sand, or pulverized magnetic-iron ore, and its distribution on to the moving slats of the revolving belts. This is effected at, suitable intervals, in order to give the supply from the hopper to the moving belt exactly at the time when the covered slats come underneath, when it is distributed in a film over their entire surface, and shut off the moment the aperture f approaches, in order to prevent waste of the material.

The aperture f, having passed the supplyaperture, and the succeeding section of covered slats reaching the point, the valve opens immediately,and furnishes an additional supply, until the section has passed also, when the supply is shut off, and so on.

This work of alternate cessation is accomplished by the action of the vertical-moving valve q, which extends the entire width of the revolving belt.

This valve is actuated at each end by metal rods or springs, r, passing through holes in lugs, r, at each end.

The rods are coiled several times loosely around the bar S, and have their other ends arranged as shown at t, bent,and coming in contact with theslats ofthe revolving belts. When these bent ends are brought in contact with the slats in the passage, they are elevated, and at the same time elevate, at their other ends, the valve q, which continues in that position until all the slats in that covered section have passed the other end,t,of the rods or springs r,which then, having` nothing to support it in its elevated position, at once drops, and, in doing so, closes the valve q until it is again elevated by the arrival ofthe next section of slats, and so on.

The magnetic-iron sand, or other material to be operated on, may be delivered into the hopper p by suitable elevators, or other applianees.

Having now described our invention, to which we have given the name of La Rue and Duquets new and improved process and apparatus for separating magnetic oxide of iron, or other magnetic substance, from all foreign materials, we will now proceed to describe more particularly its mode of action.

The apparatus being arranged substantially as described, motion is communicated to it, through the pulley C, and a supply of magnetic-iron ore is conveyed to the hopperp. The first section of covered slats e e comes in contact with the bent end, t, of the spring or rod r, which clevates the valve q, and allows a thin film of the material in the hopper to be spread out on the said first section of curved slats, the supply being cut ofi, by the action of the apparatus, when the said section of slats passes the dischargingapertnre, and continuing so until the arrival ofthe next curved section of slats, when the valve Q is again opened and closed, as before, and so on for each section of slats.

In the course of the forward movement of the rst-mentioned covered section of slats, with its contents, it passes under the trough t', which at that time is in close contact with the magnets l1y l1, the attraction from which, passing through the cloth, attaches to its lower side a large quantity of the particles of magnetic iron in the sand, and holds them there until the section of covered slats passes from underneath, when, by the action of the slats, and curved springs Z l, the trough is lowered from the magnets, and the attraction being interrupted, the particles of magnetic iron at once fall, by their specilic gravity, through the void spaces ff, into the chute n, and so pass into a proper receptacle. The brush then comesin contact with the bottom of the trough, and removes from it all the particles that may not have fallen by their own gravity. When the trough is not employed, theparticles of iron will adhere directly to the magnets, and

will be swept therefrom by the brushes, as the endless carrier passes along.

The rst section of covered slats, still moving onward, comes again under a second crossbar, g, with its trough and magnets, the same as before described, when an additional quantity of magnetic iron is again extracted, and disposed of in the same manner, and so on. under additional cross bars, magnets, and troughs, until all the magnetic iron is extracted from the sand or other foreign ingredients.

The refuse is then thrown, from the revolv ing belt, into the waste-heap.

\Vith the foregoing description of our invention, and the manner of operating'the same, we beg to state that we do not conue ourselves to the precise details herein set forth, as they may be varied to suit circumstances; but

Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ism

l. The employment of magnets for the separation of magnetic oxide of iron, or other magnetic substances, from foreign material, in connection with a movable intervening cloth, or other substance, incapable of interrupting the magnetic attraction, substantially in the mau ner described.

2. In a machine in which magnets are employed for the purpose described, the combination of a series of magnets, with a revolving endlessvapron carrier, for conveying the mingled iron and sand, substantially as described.

3. The arrangement of the brushes B B, in connection with the revolving endless apron, at the rear edge of the spaces ff, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The arrangement of the vessel A, filled with any suitable isolating-substance, as described, in connection with the magnets It h, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The entire apparatus,in its novel arrangement of frame a, revolving cylindersbb,tlanges d d', pulley C, endless belts ci d, strips or slats e, void spacesff, crossbars g g, magnets h lz, movable troughs t' t', cloth, or other bottonnj', suspensionsprings K K, with curved ends ZZ, inclined projection m, sidevehute n, hopper' p, valve g, rods or springs r, lugs 1", bars s, lever t, all working together substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

FRANQOIS ALEXANDRE HUBERT LA RUE. OC'LAVE AUDET. Witnesses:

CHARLns RonINsoN, C. C. Ross. 

